


Touch-Starved

by amyfortuna



Series: Tolkien Femslash Week 2016 [6]
Category: The Silmarillion and other histories of Middle-Earth - J. R. R. Tolkien
Genre: Aunt-Niece Relationship, F/F, Gen, Helcaraxë, Implied Relationships
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-19
Updated: 2016-07-19
Packaged: 2018-07-25 10:59:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 375
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7530052
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/amyfortuna/pseuds/amyfortuna
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Aredhel comforts Idril on the Ice.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Touch-Starved

**Author's Note:**

> For Tolkien Femslash Week. Card and Prompt are: Emotions, G31, hunger

"Are you hungry?" Aredhel sat down next to Idril, who was staring blankly into the darkness, clutching the furs she was wearing to herself. 

"Not for food," Idril answered, keeping her head still, but swaying vaguely toward Aredhel as if she were on the point of collapse. 

There was little enough food anyway. The Grinding Ice was difficult enough to get through when they were fully fed and well-rested, but now that they were all half-starved and exhausted, it was little short of slow messy death to keep going. And yet they were all continuing on, except for those lost to the Ice itself, like Idril's mother had been. 

Ever since Elenwe's death, Turgon had hardly spoken, Fingon was hardly to be seen, and Argon was always at the front, rushing forward as if he could bring Middle-earth closer to them just by walking faster. It was only Aredhel who had noticed Idril's slow decline into grief-stricken depression. They were close in age, and had always been more like sisters than aunt and niece. 

"I miss my friends," Idril said after a moment. "Especially Laurwendë. When I asked her she said she could not come with me, that her family would never abide it." She turned a stricken face to look at Aredhel. "I'm starving for her touch, for her voice, for her..." She trailed off, looking down shyly, and Aredhel suddenly understood. 

"She was a very close friend, was she not?" 

"Very close," Idril said, and the look on her face confirmed everything Aredhel had suspected. She leaned in, putting her arms around Idril. 

"Try not to worry, my darling," she said. "One day, maybe, you will see her again. And until then, I have heard tell that there are maidens fair as any in Valinor among those who stayed in Middle-earth."

"As if I would want any of them," Idril said, but the humour was already faintly beginning to return to her voice. 

"Listen," Aredhel said. "You and I, let's make sure we stick together, both here, and in Middle-earth. Do you promise?" 

She held out a gloved hand and Idril took it. "I promise," she said, and a hint a of a smile crossed her face. "You and I, do or die."


End file.
